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Kieran Culkin, Susan Sarandon, Jeff Goldblum, Claire Danes, Ryan Phillippe ... see more see more... , Bill Pullman , Amanda Peet , Jared Harris , Rory Culkin , Kathleen Gati , Cassidy Ladden , David Arrow , Gannon Forrester , Erin Fritch , Amber Gross , Dean Nolen , Bill Irwin , Cynthia Nixon , Daniel Tamberelli , Celia Weston , Nicholas Wyman , Eric Bogosian , Glenn Fitzgerald , Reg Rogers , Jim Gaffigan , Ronobir Lahiri , Arnie Burton , Elizabeth Jagger , Michael Formica Jones , Peter Tambakis

The cynical son of an upper-class New York family bedeviled by booze, pills and mental illness strikes out on his own in this caustic, darkly comic drama. Igby Slocomb (Kieran Culkin) and his older br... read more read more...other, Oliver (Ryan Phillippe), are are in the process of killing their mother, Mimi (Susan Sarandon). Flashbacks delineate Igby's troubled childhood: Speed-freak Mimi and her depressed husband, Jason (Bill Pullman), snipe at each other endlessly until Jason attempts suicide before Igby's very eyes and takes up residence in a mental hospital. Igby grows into a rebellious youth, gets kicked out of several boarding schools and ends up in a hellish military academy. After one failed escape attempt, he heads to New York City and hides out in the apartment of Rachel (Amanda Peet), the heroin-addled mistress of his godfather, D.H. (Jeff Goldblum). Oliver locates the young scoundrel and informs him that Mimi is suffering from cancer. Unperturbed, Igby continues his slacker existence -- and his romance with Sookie (Claire Danes), a hipper-than-thou undergraduate who finds herself torn between Igby and Oliver. As Igby gets drawn further into the mind games and hypocrisy of the adult world, his already jaded outlook grows even darker. He takes to dealing smack and hanging out with a cross-dressing performance "artist" (Jared Harris). Ultimately, though, Mimi's impending death draws him back into the family fold for unexpected revelations and realizations. Written and directed by first-time filmmaker Burr Steers, Igby Goes Down features Rory Culkin, Kieran's brother, as the young Igby. ~ Brian J. Dillard, Rovi

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76% liked it

43,099 ratings

Critics

76% liked it

127 critics

R, 1 hr. 44 min.

Directed by: Burr Steers

Release Date: September 13, 2002

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DVD Release Date: February 4, 2003

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Stats: 1,964 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (1,964)

  • LWOODS04
    February 24, 2012
    LWOODS04
    Cast: Kieran Culkin, Susan Sarandon, Jeff Goldblum, Claire Danes, Ryan Phillippe, Bill Pullman, Amanda Peet, Jared Harris, Rory Culkin

    Director: Burr Steers

    Summary: A teenager tired of being ignored in deference to his older brother (Ryan Phillippe), Igby (Kieran Culkin)... read more escapes to New York City without his family's knowledge, where he meets and falls in love with another outsider (Claire Danes) who makes him realize he's not so alone in the world. But Igby also soon realizes he can never completely bury his past.

    My Thoughts: "Kieran Culkin portrayed all the angst and bitterness his character was feeling quite well. Igby's life is rough. His mother, played by Susan Sarandon, is very manipulative and condescending. Sarandon is pure genius as the mother in this film. You can feel all the frustration, anger, and yet sadness Igby feels towards his mother in the end. It's quite intense and emotional. There are plenty of complicated character's to keep your interest and keep you caught up in the story. Of course Rory Culkin was the best pick to play the young Igby considering they are brother's and look a lot alike. Every one of the actor's put in great performances. A film to see if you haven't."
  • cosmo313
    January 8, 2012
    cosmo313
    This represents something of a dry run for an updated Catcher in the Rye. It's a biting and caustic dark dramedy about Igby Slocumb- a rich and sardonic rich kid who hates his family and rebels at every chance he gets, trying to find an existence he can be happy with. His mother ... read moreis a pill popper who comes from old money and is very overbearing. His father is schizophrenic and currently resides in an institution. His older brother Ollie is the type of well to do college guy with nothign but success in his future. And then there's Igby's godfather D.H., a wealthy and powerful guy whose status as Ollie's benefactor sees him play a rather questionably larger than normal role in his life for a non-mafia godfather.

    On his road to rebellion, Igby goes from school to school, then military school before ending up crashing in on New York's bohemian scene where he gets invovled with D.H.'s trophy mistress Rachel, her artist friend Russell, and a nice older, bored Jewish girl named Sookie.

    This is a big mix of satire, colorful characters, wittiness, humor, and pathos. It's also rather twisted and pretty weird at times. It's a well done nad entertainign film, though I did make the mistake of watching it in a double feature with The Squid and the Whale. Now my chances of having a happy rest of the day are pretty well non-existant. Oh well. At least the movies were good.

    Keiran Culkin is great as Igby, and, even though he's not yet achieved the household name recognition of Macaulay, he's definitely the more accomplished and better actor. Susan Sarandon seems to be having fun as Igby's mother Igby, and Ryan Phillippe excels as doing characters such as Ollie. Even if it is typecasting, he's still solid. Jeff Goldblum just radiates awesome smarminess as D.H. and I enjoyed (just about) every moment he was on screen. Claire Danes is terrific as Sookie, and Amanda Peet is really good as Rachel, and I'm jealous that Culkin (his character, rather) got to hook up with both of them. Bill Pullman's role is limited, but important, and he does a nice job. Harris is just batty, but fun.

    As a big fan of Catcher in the Rye, I dug this, even though it didn't grab me as mucch as that one did (or at least used to). In many ways I'm still very much like the leads from both wroks and can relate to them, despite being a bit older and having a more mature take on the world than I used to. All in all, this is good stuff, though it's not gonan be for everyone. If you like snotty rebellious bohemians and don't always see the glass as half full, I think you'll find something to enjoy here.
  • ythelastman89
    November 18, 2009
    ythelastman89
    This is almost too perfect of an origin story for Sean and Patrick Bateman. Kieran Culkin and Ryan Phillippe were both ruthless in their own way. I think it's great that they just basically make fun of rich, sophisticated people to no end. It's also a really great coming of age s... read moretory that doesn't make the protagonist a complete whiny prick. Igby was actually pretty confident person and wasn't the typical clueless teen.
  • SirPant
    September 25, 2009
    SirPant
    Quirky. A good turn by Goldblum & Culkin.
  • LoughnerWasLucid
    June 17, 2009
    LoughnerWasLucid
    well i saw about 15 minutes and it looks ok but Kieran, like his brother Macacakaulay however u spell it, is not a great actor.
  • kenstachnik
    December 18, 2008
    kenstachnik
    Another rich dysfunctional family film that's ultimately depressing, but well acted and crafted
  • Redlats
    December 13, 2007
    Redlats
    I'm not sure about this movie. Almost everyone in it are pretty twisted people. Igby is pretty witty, but I'm not sure I'm any better for have seen the movie all the way through.
  • Godless
    December 9, 2007
    Godless
    This attempts tries to be clever and intelligent. The key word is ATTEMPTS. I would wager that prententious indie people would love the fuck out of this snooze.
  • puffchunk
    October 18, 2007
    puffchunk
    Pretty crazy movie, i liked it.
  • gatorgirl13
    August 5, 2007
    gatorgirl13
    Slightly odd but still very good.

View All Igby Goes Down Reviews

Critic Reviews

Eleanor Ringel Gillespie
November 4, 2002
Eleanor Ringel Gillespie, Atlanta Journal-Constitution

In its own floundering way, it gets to you. Just like Igby.

Jay Boyar
October 10, 2002
Jay Boyar, Orlando Sentinel

The film makes a fatal mistake: It asks us to care about a young man whose only apparent virtue is that he is not quite as unpleasant as some of the people in his life.

Stanley Kauffmann
October 8, 2002
Stanley Kauffmann, New Republic

In all, Steers has insured that this teenage film will be recognizable to teenagers but not limited to them.

Daphne Gordon
September 27, 2002
Daphne Gordon, Toronto Star

Holden Caulfield did it better. Full Review

Rick Groen
September 27, 2002
Rick Groen, Globe and Mail

Good actors have a radar for juicy roles -- there's a plethora of characters in this picture, and not one of them is flat. Full Review

Michael O'Sullivan
September 20, 2002
Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post

Wickedly funny, jarringly transgressive, obdurately unpigeonholeable and startlingly moving.

Stephen Hunter
September 20, 2002
Stephen Hunter, Washington Post

Although I hate Igby -- he's snotty, rich, emotionally brutal, cynical, treacherous, vindictive, manipulative -- I also love him. You can, truly, feel his pain. Full Review

Mick LaSalle
September 20, 2002
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle

Mean-spirited and not remotely clever, though it strives for archness at every turn. Full Review

Eric Harrison
September 20, 2002
Eric Harrison, Houston Chronicle

A deliciously cold, brutal and unsentimental gem about growing up in an environment that knows no mercy. Full Review

Susan Stark
September 20, 2002
Susan Stark, Detroit News

Steers shows mastery of a truly tricky point of view. He's immensely aided in the cause by an A-list cast.

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Igby Goes Down Trivia

  • In which 2002 film do we see Susan Sarandon with a plastic bag over her head?  Answer »
  • small roles in Home Alone, this actor's career has been nothing like his brother's. his most recent films include The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys and Igby Goes Down.  Answer »
  • What film contains the line "I'm Pavlov's pothead. I hear a bong clink and my eyes water." ?  Answer »
  • How did Susan Sarandon's character Mimi Slocumb die in the movie "Igby Goes Down"?  Answer »
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